


Clear Shot

by bookwormally



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Family, Gen, Guns, Smoking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-18
Updated: 2015-12-18
Packaged: 2018-05-07 09:36:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,609
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5451953
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bookwormally/pseuds/bookwormally
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dualscar is annoyed. Eridan is annoyed. Cronus is annoyed. They solve this problem the family way.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Clear Shot

**Author's Note:**

  * For [MissingInMayhem](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MissingInMayhem/gifts).



Dualscar is annoyed. This is not altogether unusual, but he is particularly annoyed right now. Life is annoying right now in a way that seems purposeful. People are clearly out to piss him off and it is _working._ Luckily as an adult troll with a number of fucking centuries to him before this fucking reincarnation shit, Dualscar knows exactly how to deal with it.

You needed permission to own guns in this universe, this planet and Dualscar had made sure to get one. No one was going to keep him from guns. He needs stress relief dammit. Since he’s in a hurry for quick stress relief instead of a nice relaxing break, a trip to the shooting range is just the thing. He gathers his rifle, shotgun, and pistol, so he has his pick of shots to take.

Eridan is sitting in the living room, squinting at his computer, and doesn’t look up as he passes. It’s only as Dualscar is setting the guns down by the door to find his keys that he takes notice. Some part of Dualscar is pleased the wriggler recognizes the sound of a gun being set down.

Eridan turns the squint on him. “What are you doing?”

“Dealin’ with annoyance,” Dualscar answers shortly and picks the keys up off the hook. “By being more annoyed at havin’ to drive. Fuckin’ hate this shit.”

Eridan pushes his glasses up. “You always complain about the fuckin’ thing. Drop it already.” He turns back to his computer as Dualscar tries to remember the nice feeling of being hero worshiped. When had Eridan stopped doing that?

Dualscar keeps the keys in one hand and picks up the guns with the other. Eridan is practically glaring at the screen. Dualscar looks up at the ceiling for patience and sighs. “I’m going shootin’. You wanna come? You look like you need it.”

Eridan looks up. “How do I look like I need to shoot things?”

“You’re scowlin’ at the screen like Vantas the younger does all the time. You’re not usually scowlin’. Shooting helps me and you still haven’t shown me how you handled Ahab’s.” Dualscar arches an eyebrow.

Eridan slowly closes the computer. “I handled it just fine. Human guns aren’t the same anyway.”

Dualscar rolls his eyes now. “There’s more to shootin’ than laser rifles. Come on.” He moves to open the door and is actually sort of pleased when he hears Eridan get off the couch. Good. Hopefully they could both burn off some annoyance and aggression and it’d save an argument or one of the walls getting punched through.

He pulls the door open as Eridan gets shoes on and is instantly annoyed even further. The porch stinks of smoke and he growls. It only takes a small turn of the head to find the cause. Cronus is inhaling and glares right back at Dualscar. Cronus coughs, but doesn’t choke and that annoys Dualscar even further.

Dualscar reaches out faster than Cronus can react and takes the cigarette away. He drops it to the ground and stomps it.

“Hey! The fuck are you doing?”

Dualscar glares at him. “Saving my porch from smelling like shit and you from killing yourself slowly and painfully. You want a gill infection?”

Cronus crosses his arms, a not unimpressive display of his physique, but still wrigglerish compared to Dualscar. “Fuck off. I can do what I want. I’m not some little grub for you to mold into a fucking copy.” His gaze darts behind Dualscar and Dualscar growls. Eridan just rolls his eyes as he pulls the door shut.

“I thought we were going.”

Dualscar breaks eye contact with Cronus. “We are.” He reaches out and grabs Cronus’s shoulder and shoves him in front of them. “We’re all goin’ before self-destructive habits burn my damn house down.”

Cronus is not for this plan and digs his heels in. “Fuck you, I can do what I want. I’m not being drug to some fucking Alternian fest of blood and anger.”

“So you’d rather stand around and hurt yourself instead. Brilliant plan.” Dualscar tosses Eridan the keys and the youngest troll goes to unlock the vehicle. Dualscar stops and stares down at Cronus. “Not having a palemate doesn’t mean you can just bottle everything up and pretend it’s fine. You need a damn outlet and one that doesn’t hurt yourself.” He flicks Cronus’s earfin. “No smokin’. Come to the shootin’ range and I’ll leave you be the rest of the night.”

Cronus grits his teeth, but looks away. He moves to climb into the backseat. Dualscar lifts his eyes to the sky and opens the driver’s door.

“Eridan, hold the guns. Don’t shoot your fins off.”

“I’m not an idiot. Cronus is the one from the wriggler protection planet.”

Cronus kicks the back of his chair. Eridan turns and growls and Dualscar reaches out to turn his face back to the front. “Enough. It’s ten minutes to the range. Stop fuckin’ about for that long even if it means being silent.”

Eridan sniffs and stares out the window stiffly.

Cronus slouches lower in the seat, so his horn tips rest on the top.

Dualscar will take that as good enough. He starts the annoyingly loud mode of transport that humans depend on and pulls out of the drive. Sure, it was nice to get a second chance at this life thing. It was even better to not be under the Empress’s thumb doing dinner duty to her monster. He’s not sure about this having two young trolls shoved on him thing, but they could be worse.

He just wishes he didn’t feel so out of touch with this universe. All the human elements were just fucking different enough to bother him. Cars were obnoxious even though they may be convenient. He misses his boat. He misses quiet. He misses his crew.

Dualscar sighs and focuses on the road. The quiet inside the car is different from the one he misses. This one is tense, stress from young trolls with no healthy outlets simmering just below explosion levels. Did nobody teach them how to manage themselves? He may not be perfect, but at least he knew when he was getting really out of sorts. He exhales through his nose and knows that no one taught them shit. She wanted angry soldiers, exploding out of their skins. Moirails were there to keep them calm out of battle so they wouldn’t tear each other apart. Otherwise? She never gave a shit.

The morbid thoughts are annoying and he focuses on what they’ll be doing at the range. Shooting targets is something real and tangible and he needs it right now. Turning into the lot for the range is a relief. Eridan is quick to scramble out with the guns while Cronus seems content to stay slouched in the back seat.

Dualscar climbs out and pulls his door open. “You shoot and I leave you alone. That’s the deal. Get movin’.”

Cronus climbs out the other door just to be a wriggler and Dualscar shuts the one he opened with an eye roll. He does not miss the pre-molt age. Cronus seems to be willing to continue dragging his feet so, Dualscar passes him to catch up with Eridan. He’s gotta pay for time and ammo.

Eridan is basically bouncing in place, careful of the rifle and shotgun he’s holding, but already looking less angry. What a wriggler. It makes Dualscar smile as he puts a card on hold with the clerk. The human woman doesn’t even seem intimidated by them. He likes that. At the range for two minutes and he and Eridan are already feeling better.

A glance at Cronus shows that this is not holding true for him. Cronus is glaring at the ground and grinding his teeth like he wishes he had something to chew on. Dualscar makes a note to make something a bit bloodier for dinner and herds Cronus in front of him and into the range.

Eridan is already setting the shotgun down and looking for rifle ammo and Dualscar snorts. “Hold it wriggler.” He reaches out to grab Eridan and tugs him closer. “Ear fins first.” He opens one of the cabinets and holds out ear protectors. “Gettin’ pinched is better than goin’ deaf.”

Eridan makes a face, but puts them on. He opens the next cabinet for ammo, taking notice of the sheet to mark what they take without prompting. Dualscar trusts him to handle it and turns to look at Cronus. “Alright, cover your ear fins and then you can pick what to shoot.”

Cronus rolls his eyes, but grabs the ear protection without complaint. He slaps them on and crosses his arms. Dualscar lets him just look around as he gets his own on and makes sure they fit comfortably. They do pinch, but hearing is more important than a bit of pinching. He glances to check on Eridan who is loading up the rifle to get to shooting. Dualscar grins slightly and grabs the shotgun and pulls his pistol out.

“Alright Cronus, what would you like to shoot?”

Cronus looks between the two guns and then shrugs. “Whatever.”

Dualscar wants to flick him in the nose, but holds out the pistol. “Then you get this. Don’t shoot yourself or someone else. Ammo is in there, mark what you take.” He motions to the cabinet and then opens it himself to get what he needs.

Shotgun loaded, he moves to a lane and is more than ready to actually get to the work of unwinding. He flicks the switch on his ear protectors and lifts the shotgun. Lining up the shot, flicking off the safety, and squeezing the trigger, oh so carefully, until it hits just enough and the target has a hole in it right in the middle is like a fine bit of whiskey.

Dualscar smiles slightly. This is the way to relax. This is the release he needs when the world gets too loud and annoying. It may not be as satisfying as going out hunting for days, but it was a quick fix that worked until he could plan such a trip. For now, he will shoot at the damn target until he feels few urges to turn the gun on the populace at large.

He’s reloading when he notices trouble. Eridan is still shooting though his shoulder is hitched awkwardly. Dualscar can’t help himself and goes over to correct it. Easing the young troll’s shoulder down and helping him get a better hold on the gun. He pats Eridan’s shoulder and moves to go back to his own. He passes Cronus as he does so.

Cronus looks to be having the opposite of a good time. His shoulders are tight, he’s frowning, and he flinches with every shot. That’s the opposite of a good thing and Dualscar stops next to him. He waits for Cronus to lift his finger off the trigger and then clears his throat. Cronus jumps, but then turns with a frown. “What do you want?” His voice is loud, shouting even and Dualscar points to the ear protectors. Cronus flicks his back to normal. “What?”

Dualscar reaches to take the pistol from him. “Have you ever even shot a gun before?”

Cronus scoffs. “Yes, but not as much as you animals. Why would a violet need a gun? We’re already playing with a full hand as far as genetics go.” It sounds like he’s heard it a million times before.

Dualscar frowns slightly. He starts to reload the pistol as he thinks of how to reply. “I can see why that’d be something your planet would support, but you need an outlet that isn’t gonna turn your lungs black.” He offers the pistol back to Cronus and surprisingly, the troll takes it. Dualscar steps behind him slightly and he can see him tense. Dualscar puts his hands on Cronus’s shoulders. “Breathe. I’m just showin’ you a better way to hold it.”

Cronus grumbles, but doesn’t shoulder him off. Dualscar presses his shoulders down. “Relax. That’s the biggest thing. Bein’ tense makes it worse.” He moves his hands to Cronus’s arms, adjusting them in small ways and then steps to the side to finish adjusting his forearms and even his fingers. “Line up your shot and then squeeze the trigger. Don’t yank it. That’s not necessary. Exhale as you do it.”

“So many fucking notes for how I’m supposed to be relaxing,” Cronus mumbles, but he breathes in and focuses on the target instead. Inhale and aim, hold it, and then let it out right as he squeezes. The pistol fires and there’s a hole in the target a bit left of the center. Cronus blinks and the rest of the world comes back into focus.

Dualscar nods. “Like that. You get better at aimin’ with practice. ‘S why Eri is a decent shot even if he tenses up like the thing is goin’ to attack him.”

Eridan leans back to look around the divider. “Things were usually trying to fight back when I shot them. You were an Orphaner, you should know that.”

Dualscar rolls his eyes. “The targets aren’t lusi.”

Eridan flips him off and leans forward again to go back to shooting.

Cronus looks up at Dualscar. “Good to know I can’t possibly measure up to your standards.”

Dualscar arches an eyebrow. “When did I ever say that? I just said you need practice and an outlet. Double duty if you like it.” He waves a hand and goes back to his own lane.

Cronus rubs his thumb against the handle of the pistol. Shooting was never a thing to do because. It was a thing to show off with. It was a way to stay alive a bit longer in the game. It wasn’t _relaxing_. He wasn’t _good_ at it.

He lifts the pistol and tries to remember how Dualscar had positioned his arms. He breathes in, holds, and exhales. Another hole is torn through the target.

Coming out into the sunlight has all three of them squinting. Even with the chill, it’s still too damn bright. Dualscar growls under his breath and marches to the car with hunched shoulders. Still, he’s feeling better. Eridan is already tapping at his phone.

Cronus feels weirdly clear headed. He’s not feeling any sort of urge to make himself the center of attention, to have someone, anyone look at him and do something. It’s weird and he keeps rubbing his forehead to chase away any wrinkles. It’s not a bad feeling, but he’s never really felt like this since…since sweeps ago when he was younger and still wore his glasses.

He shakes his head to chase it all away and follows the other two to the car. Eridan has slid into the back and after a moment, Cronus takes the front seat. Dualscar is glaring out the window, but glancing at him Cronus can tell it’s just the light. Dualscar isn’t actually annoyed anymore.

Cronus slumps back in his seat. “Well, now what?”

“There’s holiday drinks at Kar’s ancestor’s café,” Eridan answers immediately. “I want some peppermint hot chocolate.”

“More like you wanna see your flush crush,” Cronus mumbles. Eridan kicks the back of his chair lightly. Cronus sticks his tongue out at him.

Dualscar starts the car. “Both of you can shut the fuck up or I’ll dump you at Vantas’s and let you stay there all night with his damn cooking.”  
They both protest, citing their inability to process charcoal and Dualscar smiles as he pulls out of the lot. Much better.


End file.
